Cup-positioning assembly

ABSTRACT

AN ASSEMBLY FOR GUIDING A CUP FROM A MAGAZINE TO A LOCATION BEHIND A BEVERAGE MACHINE CABINET ACCESS OPENING AND FOR POSITIONING THE CUP UPRIGHT ADJACENT THE MACHINE BEVERAGE DISPENSER, IN WHICH A FUNNELIKE GUIDE WHICH RECEIVES A CUP FROM THE MAGAZINE ADJACENT THE BACK OF THE ASSEMBLY DELIVERS THE CUP TO A DOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLY INCLINED CHUTE ALONG WHICH THE CUP SLIDES TOWARD A TRAY BEHIND THE ACCESS OPENING. RESPECTIVE GUIDE FLAPS ARE SUPPORTED LOOSELY FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF THE CHUTE FOR MOVEMENT AROUND GENERALLY VERTICAL AXES AT POSITIONS AT WHICH THEY ENGAGE THE CUP LIP AS IT COMES TO REST ON THE TRAY. RESILIENT MEANS LIGHTLY BIASES THE FLAPS TO NEUTRAL POSITIONS FROM WHICH THEY MAY BE MOVED IN EITHER DIRECTION AROUND THEIR AXES OF MOVEMENT. ALL OF THE ELEMENTS OF THE ASASSEMBLY ARE CONNECTED BY READILY MANUALLY RELEASABLE MEANS AND THE ASSEMBLY ITSELF IS READILY RELEASABLY MOUNTED IN THE MACHINE CABINET.

United States Patent Primary Examiner-Stanley H. Tollberg Attorney-Shenier and OConnor ABSTRACT: An assembly for guiding a cup from a magazine to a location behind a beverage machine cabinet access opening and for positioning the cup upright adjacent the machine beverage dispenser, in which a funnellike guide which receives a cup from the magazine adjacent the back of the assembly delivers the cup to a downwardly and forwardly inclined chute along which the cup slides toward a tray behind the access opening. Respective guide flaps are supported loosely for pivotal movement adjacent the bottom of the chute for movement around generally vertical axes at positions at which they engage the cup lip as it comes to rest on the tray. Resilient means lightly biases the flaps to neutral positions from which they may be moved in either direction around their axes of movement. All of the elements of the assembly are connected by readily manually releasable means and the assembly itself is readily releasably mounted in the machine cabinet.

PATENIED JUN28 1971 SHEET 1 0F 3 INVENTOR BruceB. Land/s ATTORNEYS CUP-POSITIONING ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In operation of beverage-merchandising machines of the prior art an empty cup of paper or plastic is delivered from a supply magazine to a tray located behind the access opening in the door of the machine cabinet. After the cup has been so delivered, the machine operates to fill it with the beverage to be dispensed. Finally, the customer reaches in through themcess opening and removes the filled cup.

While the operation described above of delivering an empty cup to a location at which it can receive the beverage being dispensed is apparently a simple one, it involves a number of problems. The cup must be guided from the supply magazine to the dispensing location in such a way that it arrives and is positioned thereat upright at a location at which it can receive the dispensed beverage. The guide means should not interfere with easy withdrawal of the filled cup. Stated otherwise, the guide means should permit removal of the filled cup by the customer without requiring him to exercise undue care to avoid spilling. It is further desirable that the cup be so positioned on the tray behind the access opening as to permit it and its contents to be easily viewed by and to be easily reached by the customer. Preferably, the guide structure should accommodate a range ofcup sizes. The construction of the guide assembly should be such that it cannot readily be damaged by careless persons or by children. The construction further should be such that the assembly itself is readily removable from the machine and that it be easily disassembled for cleaning of residue resulting from a certain amount of unavoidable splashing or spilling as the beverage is dispensed.

Arrangements of the prior art for delivering empty cups to the dispensing location have not successfully achieved all of the desirable results outlined above. Many of them employ at least one fixed guide for positioning the cup at the delivery location and this guide has a tendency to interfere with easy removal of the filled cup by a customer. Others of the cup guide assemblies of the prior art receive the cup from the side of the assembly with the result that the cup is positioned at a relatively great distance behind the surface of the machine door and is consequently difficult to view. Most of the assemblies of the prior art are permanent or semipermanent installations and are composed of parts which are permanently or semipermanently joined so that removal and disassembly of the cup delivery mechanism is a relatively tedious and timeconsuming operation.

I have invented a cup-positioning assembly for use in a berverage-merchandisin'g machine which overcomes the defects of cup-positioning assemblies of the prior art. My cuppositioning assembly locates the cup closely adjacent the machine door access opening so as to make the cup readily visible to the customer. My assembly permits the filled cup to be easily removed by the customer while minimizing the danger of spilling. I construct my assembly from parts which are readily manually removably joined to provide an assembly which is readily manually removably mounted in the machine cabinet for ease in cleaning and servicing. My cup-positioning assembly will accommodate a range ofcup sizes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One object of my invention is to provide a cup-positioning assembly for a beverage-merchandising machine which overcomes the defects of cup-positioning assemblies of the prior art.

Another object of my invention is to provide a cup-positioning assembly for positioning a cup closely adjacent to the access opening in the machine cabinet door.

A further object of my invention is to provide a cup-positioning assembly which permits withdrawal of a filled cup through the door access opening without danger of spilling.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a cup-positioning assembly in which the danger of damage to the cuppositioning parts is minimized.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a cup positioning assembly which is readily removable from the machine and which is readily disassembled for cleaning and servicing.

Other and further objects of my invention will appear from the following description.

In general, my invention contemplates the provision of a cup-positioning assembly for a beverage-merchandising machine in which a funnellike member receives a cup from a supply magazine adjacent the back of the assembly and delivers it to a forwardly and downwardly extending chute constructed to provide generally line contact with the cup as it slides down the chute toward the tray located behind the access door of the machine cabinet. I loosely mount respective positioning flaps adjacent the lower end of the chute above the tray for pivotal movement around respective generally vertical axes so that these flaps engage the cup lip at generally diametrically opposed locations to position the cup during the filling operation. Resilient means lightly biases these flaps to neutral positions from which they can swing in either direction around their axes. All of the parts of my cup-positioning mechanism are readily releasably joined to form the assembly which itself is readily releasably mounted on a frame in the cabinet behind the door.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings which form part of the instant specification and which are to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of my improved cup-positioning assembly.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the cup-positioning assembly illustrated in FIG. I taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the cup-positioning assembly illustrated in FIG. 1 taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1 and indicating the relationship of the assembly in the machine cabinet in which it is installed.

FIG. 4 is a rear elevation of my improved cup-positioning assembly taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of my cup-positioning assembly taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT My improved cup-positioning assembly, indicated generally by the reference character 10, includes a supporting structure comprising a central back panel 12, and forwardly bent side panels 14 and 16 having respective forwardly bent edge 7 flanges l8 and 20 extending along the side edges of panels 14 and 16.

I provide the back panel 12 with an opening 22 for receiving the cup chute to be described hereinafter. Adjacent the edges of the sides of the openings 22 I provide the panel 12 with respective hook-receiving mounting clips 24 and 26. Rearwardly extending tongues 28 and 30 adjacent the bottom of the panel 12 are spaced approximately the same distance as are the hook-receiving clips 24 and 26.

My assembly 10 is intended for use with a machine for dispensing liquids, such as hot drinks, cold drinks and the like, which includes a cabinet sidewall 32 having a front edge 34. The cabinet, including wall 32, carries a frame 36 provided with a pair of spaced hooks 38 and 40 and corresponding slots, one slot 42 of which is indicated in FIG. 3. The supporting structure, including the panel l2and all of the parts to be described which are carried thereby, is readily removably mounted within the housing having the side 32 by placing the clips 24 and 26 over the hooks 38 and 40 with the tongues 28 and 30 inserted into the slots 42. In this way the cup receiving assembly I0 is readily removably mounted in the machine with which it is to be used.

The assembly 10 further includes a cup guide chute, indicated generally by the reference character 44, having an upper end provided with spaced sides 46 and 48 and having inclined side portions 50 and 52 connected by a central portion 54 with the side portions 50 and 52 so bent with relation to the central portion 54 as to guide a cup delivered thereto in a manner to be described for sliding movement downwardly at an angle of about 45 degrees, with the cup making generally line contact with the guide surfaces so as to minimize frictional resistance to movement of the cup down the chute.

A funnellike guide 75 adapted to receive a cup from a supply carries lugs 76 and 78 which extend through slots 77 and 79 in the sides 46 and 48 below outwardly bent resilient portions 81 and 83 in sides 46 and 48.

I locate the chute 44 in the opening 22 in the back panel 12. Respective flanges 56 and'58 bent backwardly from the panel 12 at the sides of the opening 22 are formed with respective hooks 60 and 62 adapted to engage in slots 64 and 66 formed in tabs 68 and 70 bent out of the sides 46 and 48 of the chute. I provide the chute adjacent its lower edge with aclip or tab 80 which engages the central portion of the bottom of opening 22. A pair of springs 72 and 74 extend between the hooks 60 and 62 and the lugs 76 and 78 urge tab 80 into engagement with the panel 12 releasably to retain the chute structure in position.

My cup-receiving and positioning assembly includes respective left-hand and right-hand guide flaps, indicated generally by the reference characters 82 and 84. Each of the flaps has downwardly tapered and relatively angularly disposed guide portions 86, 88 and 90. These flaps 82 and 84 are so arranged as to center a cup moving downwardly along the chute in a manner to be described. 1 provide the flaps 82 and 84 with respective rearwardly extending arms 92 and 94 which pass through openings 96 and 98 in the panel 12. Springs 100 extending between the arms 92 and 94 and the upper edges of the chute guide portions 50 and 52 normally hold the flaps 82 and 84 in positions at which they will engage cups moving down the chute.

I provide the flaps 82 and 84 with respective second arms 102 and 104 which'extend rearwardly through openings 106 and 108 in the panel 12. Slots 110 and 112 adjacent the ends of the arms 102 and 104 receive the ends ofa biasing bar 114 formed of a suitable resilient material such, for example, as l/l6-inch thick polyurethane.

The central portion of the bar 114 carries a channel element 116 through which 1 pass a bolt 118 to receive a thumbscrew 120 adjacent its outer end. It will readily be appreciated that the inherent resiliency of the member 114 normally biases the flaps 82 and 84 to a predetermined position around a generally vertical axis. This initial position of the elements can readily be adjusted by turning the thumbscrew in or backing it off the bolt 118. Not only does the bar 114 properly initially position the flaps 82 and 84, but, also, it permits movement of the flaps in both directions around generally vertical axes without damage to any of the parts.

A generally U-shaped bracket 122 riveted or otherwise secured to the funnel 75 supports an antisplash flap 124 which extends downwardly from the funnel to a position at which it will protect the chute against contamination by beverages which are being delivered to a cup by a delivery mechanism (not shown).

I arrange a drain 126 having an outlet 128 leading to a drain tube 130 just below the end of the chute. The side panels 14 and 16 carry respective lugs or tongues 132 and 134 which are adapted to be received in slots 136 and 138 in the wall of the drain 126. Similarly, lugs 140 and 142 on the panel 12 pass through respective openings 144 and 146 in the drain wall. A spring 152 has its ends trained around the lugs 140 and 142 to hold drain 126 in position. 1 provide a drain 126 with a perforated tray 154 the back of which has spaced tabs 148 which fit into openings 150 in panel 12. The lower edge of the back of tray 154 rests on a support 156 formed on the rear wall of drain 126. Drain 126 permits liquids falling thereon to pass therethrough to the drain 126 and thence outwardly to the tube 130.

in operation of a merchandising machine provided with my cup positioning assembly, when a dispensing cycle is initiated the cup delivery mechanism (not shown) releases a cup which falls through the guide 75 and downwardly onto the chute 44 along which it slides toward the tray 154. Owing to the shape of the chute, only line contact with the cup is provided so as to minimize frictional resistance to sliding movement of the cup toward the tray 154 under the influence of gravity. As the cup moves from the chute onto the tray 154, it is guided by the flaps 82 and 84 to an upright position at which it can receive the liquid being dispensed from the liquid delivery mechanism (not shown). Next, the cup is filled with the beverage being dispensed. After the filling operation, the customer may reach in and withdraw the cup. In the course of this last operation, the flaps 82 and 84 can pivot relatively easily against the action of resilient member 114. Moreover, the flaps exert substantially equal forces on both sides of the cup lip so that the danger of tilting the cup and thus spilling the beverage as it is withdrawn is minimized.

For the-usual simple cleaning operation tray 154 may merely be lifted out of drain 126. For a more thorough cleaning or for servicing the entire assembly 10 is readily removed from frame 36 by moving the bottom of the assembly slightly outwardly to withdraw the tongues 28 from the slots 42 and then slipping the clips 24 and 26 off the hooks 38 and 40. Then the flap structure may be removed by disengaging the ends of the resilient member 114 from the slots and 112 and then releasing springs 100 to permit the arms 92 and 94 to be withdrawn from slots 98. At this point, the springs 72 and 74 can be disengaged to permit the chute assembly to be removed. lf desired, the funnellike guide member 75 can be disengaged from the chute. By reversing the sequence of operations just described, the cup-positioning mechanism can be reassembled and remounted in the cabinet after cleaning or servicing thereof.

If desired, the neutral position of flaps 82 and 84 can be adjusted to accommodate a cup of a different size merely by turning thumbscrew inwardly or outwardly on the bolt 118.

lt will be seen that l have accomplished the objects of my invention. l have Provided a cup-positioning assembly which positions a cup closely adjacent to the access opening of a merchandising machine cabinet door to permit it to be viewed by a customer. My assembly permits a filled cup to be easily withdrawn through the door access opening while minimizing the dangerof spilling. The guide flaps of my mechanism may be pivoted in both directions from a neutral position without danger of damage such as bending. My assembly is readily removable from the machine cabinet and the parts thereof may easily be disassembled and reassembled for cleaning and servicing.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of my claims. It is further obvious that various changes may be made in details within the scope of my claims without departing from the spirit of my invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the specific details shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim is:

lclaim:

1. An assembly for positioning a cup behind an access opening at the front of a beverage machine cabinet having sides and a back and having a cup supply for releasing cups at a location above said access opening and spaced behind said from including in combination, a tray, means mounting said tray behind said access opening, a cup guide chute comprising relatively angular disposed surfaces providing substantially line contact with a cup sliding down said chute, means mounting said chute in said cabinet with said surfaces extending downwardly and forwardly from adjacent to said location toward said tray, a funnellike guide at said location for directing a cup released from said supply to said chute, and means adjacent the lower end of said chute for resiliently releasably retaining a cup in a upright position on said tray.

2. An assembly as in claim I, in which said chute comprises upwardly directed wall extensions at the top of said chute, said manually releasable means comprising ears on said funnellike guide and means forming slots in said wall extensions for receiving said ears.

3. An assembly as in claim 2 including means forming resilient portions in said wall extensions leading from the tops of the extensions to said slots for facilitating entry of said ears into said slots.

4. An assembly as in claim 1 in which said chute-mounting means comprises a support having an opening for receiving said chute and manually releasable means for assembling said chute in said opening.

5. An assembly as in claim 4 in which said manually releasable means comprises a tab on said chute for engaging said support when said cute is in said opening and a spring extending between said chute and said support for urging said tab into engagement with the support.

6. An assembly as in claim 4 in which said manually releasable means comprises a hook on one of said support and said chute and means forming a slot on the other of said chute and said support for receiving said hook.

7. An assembly as in claim 4, in which said manually releasable means comprises a tab on said chute for engaging said support when said chute is positioned in said opening, a hook on one of the chute and support, means forming a slot in the other of the chute and the support for receiving the hook and a spring for urging said tab into engagement with said support.

8. An assembly as in claim 1 in which said chute-mounting means comprises a panel and means comprising respective hook-receiving means on said panel adapted to engage cabinet-mounted hooks for mounting said assembly in said cabinet.

9. An assembly as in claim 1 in which said resilient cup-positioning means comprises a flap, means mounting said flap for pivotal movement around a generally vertical axis and means for biasing said flap to cup-engaging position.

10. An assembly as in claim 1 in which said resilient cuppositioning means'comprises a pair of flaps, means mounting the respective flaps at the sides of said chute adjacent the lower end thereof for pivotal movement around respective generally vertical axes and means for biasing said flaps to positions at which they engage a cup moving from said chute onto said tray.

11. An assembly as in claim in which each of said flaps comprises generally downwardly and inwardly directed guide portions.

12. An assembly as in claim 10 in which each of said flaps comprises generally downwardly and inwardly directed guide portions, said guide portions being relatively angularly disposed with respect to each other.

13. An assembly as in claim 10 in which said flap mounting means supports said flaps for pivotal movement between limit positions, said biasing means comprising resilient means common to said flaps for biasing said flaps to normal cup-engaging positions located between their limit positions.

14. An assembly as in claim 10 in which biasing means comprises means for varying the effect of said resilient means to adjust said normal flap positions.

15. An assembly as in claim 10in which said resilient means comprises a length of resilient material, adjustable means for securing a portion of said length to said chute mounting means and means connecting said flaps to said length adjacent the ends thereof.

16. An assembly as in claim 10 in which said flap-mounting means comprises respective arms on said flaps, openings in said chute supporting means for loosely receiving said arms and springs extending between said arms and said chute.

17. An assembly as in claim 10 in which said flap-mounting means comprises respective first arms on said flaps, first openings in said supporting means for loosely receiving said first arms, respective springs extending between said armsand said chute, respective second arms on said wings, second openings in said chute-mounting means for receiving said second arms, a length of resilient material, adjustable means for securing a portion of said length to said chute mounting means and means connecting the ends of said length to said second pair of arms.

18. An assembly as in claim 1 including a drain for supporting said tray and manually releasable interengageable means for mounting said drain on said chute-supporting means.

19. An assembly as in claim 18 in which said drain-mounting means comprises slots in said drain, tabs on said supporting means extending through said slots and a coil spring having ends engaging said tabs.

20. In a cup-positioning assembly for a merchandising machine having an access opening, a tray positioned behind said access opening, respective guide flaps, each of said flaps comprising relatively angularly disposed downwardly and inwardly extending plane surfaces, means mounting said flaps over said tray for pivotal movement around spaced generally vertically extending axes, and means for resiliently biasing said flaps to cup-engaging positions at which they position a cup upright behind said access opening.

21. A cup-positioning assembly as in claim 20 in which said flap-mounting means permits said pivotal movement between limits, said biasing means being common to said flaps, said biasing means biasing said flaps to normal cup-engaging position between said limits.

22. A cup-positioning assembly as in claim 20 in which said flap-mounting means comprises a panel provided with first and second pairs of openings, first arms on said flaps loosely received in the openings of said first pair, respective springs connected between said first arms and said panel, respective second arms on said flaps extending through the openings of said second pair, said biasing means comprising a length of resilient material, adjustable means for securing the central portion of said length to said panel and means connecting the ends of said length to said second arms.

23. A cup-positioning assembly for a beverage-merchandising machine having an access opening including in combination, a support panel having an opening, a tray, a drain for supporting said tray, manually releasable means for mounting said drain on said panel with said tray behind said access opening, a downwardly and forwardly extending cup guide chute, manually releasable means mounting said chute in said opening with the lower end thereof adjacent said tray, respective cup-positioning flaps, manually releasable means mounting said flaps on said panel adjacent the lower end of said chute and manually releasable biasing means for urging said flaps to positions to engage a cup moving from said chute toward said tray to position said cup upright behind said access opening. 

